Measures for preventing air pollution from ships as well as energy efficiency requirements for ships are in the spotlight at a training event for eight countries* in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Gulf.
The regional workshop in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (17-19 September) is covering IMO's MARPOL Annex VI treaty, which limits the main air pollutants contained in ships exhaust gas, including sulphur oxides and nitrous oxides, and includes energy-efficiency measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. MARPOL Annex VI also prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances.
The workshop is also focusing on the ship fuel data collection system, in force since March 2018, which requires ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above to collect consumption data for each type of fuel oil they use.
The training is organised by IMO and PERSGA – the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. PERSGA, established under UN Environment's Regional Seas Programme, is a long-standing IMO partner in work to support sustainable governance of regional seas.
* Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and United Arb Emirates.